Carpetbaggers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe individuals, often outsiders, who move to a new place, particularly during a time of political change, to exploit opportunities for personal gain
2. Refers historically to opportunistic people who traveled to the southern United States after the Civil War to leverage the new social and economic landscape for profit
3. Denotes people who might take advantage of a situation or area, particularly in politics or business, often perceived as insincere or exploitative

Etymology: Carpetbags were cheap travelling bags made from carpet fabric, and they became the emblem of a particular kind of outsider. Their name came from that material, and the word "carpetbagger" was formed by adding the suffix "-er" to "carpetbag," so a carpetbagger was, quite literally, someone who carried a carpetbag. The label was attached to Northerners who moved south after the Civil War, when Reconstruction opened political and economic opportunities across the defeated states. Critics portrayed them as men who arrived with little more than their luggage and sought office or profit at the expense of local people. The image of a shabby, portable bag stood in for the idea of someone with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The word therefore moved from a humble object to a sharp insult about motive. The bag was never the point; the suspicion that the traveller had come to exploit a region's misfortune was.

Synonyms: opportunists, exploiters, political entrepreneurs, self-seekers, merchants